This invention relates to apparatuses and method of printing a montage of images upon photosensitive paper.
Heretofore, numerous methods and devices have been made for forming a montage of images on photosensitive paper as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,944,364, 2,549,699, 2,496,701, 2,251,184, 2,238,049, United Kingdom Pat. Nos. 1,372,857 and 713,151 and French Pat. No. 985,768. These prior art apparatuses however have been plagued with numerous problems and deficiencies. For example, it has been quite difficult to provide a montage of contiguous images with them without creating image overlap or spacings. Trial and error is required all too frequently. In many cases it has been difficult to make a borderless montage without some border or image loss. The devices have been complex rendering it difficult to readily mount and properly align the paper to a supporting easel. Relocation of the easel, or the photosensitive paper thereon, to bring successive portions of the photographic paper upon which a montage is to be made into precise alignment with the enlarger has also been very difficult to accomplish.
Today, the need for a device for printing such montages is quite substantial, particularly in the field of making color prints of relatively small sizes. This is due to the fact that color photosensitive paper is ordinarily manufactured and sold in only fairly large sheet sizes. As a result there is often much waste particularly by amateurs of the photosensitive paper when making prints of small sizes. Such is, of course, quite costly.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide improved apparatuses and methods for printing a montage of images on photosensitive paper.
More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide printing apparatuses and methods for printing a montage of contiguous images on a sheet of photosensitive paper with enhanced image registry and without image overlap or spacings.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of printing a montage of images on photosensitive paper with enhanced ease, speed and accuracy of repositioning the paper beneath an enlarger.
Another object of the invention is to provide photographic printing apparatus of the type described of relatively simple and economic construction and which may be utilized with facility and with a minimum of training.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a photographic easel with improved means for mounting and aligning a sheet of photosensitive paper thereon.